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Rating changes in the Navy. How DOES one call for a Corpsman in combat now?

I plead Old Corps. That the current POTUS was unaware of how to even pronounce the (old) rating in a speech speaks to how it is not in common usage today.

But the article specifically says ANY sailor of ANY rating will be referred to as "Seaman" for E-1 though E-3 "Petty Officer" for E-4 though E-6, and "Chief" for E-7, "Senior Chief" for E-8 and "Master Chief" for E-9.

It is the Rating that is going away. All I can see is the potential for confusion.

I'm sure that the Navy will sort it. It's going to take a few years to overcome the inertia of a couple hundred years of tradition.

My wife is a retired paramedic who spent over 15 years on the road as an ALS (Advanced Life Support) first responder before being promoted to a 111 (911 in the US) dispatcher. She managed EMTs in Canada, England, New Zealand and the US during the course of her career.

It was not unusual for her to dispatch calls to military resources when that was the cognizant authority to cover the call. So, dialing 911 to get a corpsman is not out of the realm of possibility and quite likely the fastest way to get a first responder on-site -- civilian OR military.